Full Print Edition

Walsh Cruises to Huge Victory in Charlestown and Citywide

Mayor Martin Walsh made a strong showing in Charlestown on Tuesday night in the Preliminary Election, getting nearly five times more votes then second place finisher and Councilor Tito Jackson in the Town.

Vote totals for the seven precincts in Charlestown showed that Walsh scored 1,891 votes to Jackson’s 409 – showing that Charlestown got behind Walsh after having gone against him in the previous mayoral election four years ago.

Walsh won every precinct in the Town, and citywide finished with 63 percent of the vote to Jackson’s 29 percent. Mayor Walsh won 212 out of 255 precincts citywide.

“We achieved a great result tonight,” said Walsh in his victory speech in Dorchester’s IBEW Hall. “I think about the young woman at a T stop in Jamaica Plain, who let me know she’s four months sober. Or the little girl who asked me: ‘Is the president going to make my mom leave the country?’ Not if I have anything to say about it. I was a kid from an immigrant family in Dorchester. I needed a second chance. And I got to live my dream. So I will never stop fighting until every single Bostonian can live their dream as well.

“For the next six weeks, we will continue this conversation in every corner of every neighborhood in our great city,” he continued. “We’re going to keep listening to the needs, the hopes, and the dreams of every Bostonian. We’re going to keep showing how much we love our city, and keep working to make it even better.”

Walsh also congratulated the candidates that did not advance, including Robert Cappucci and Joe Wiley.

He also congratulated Jackson on his advancement to the Nov. 7 election.

“I congratulate Councilor [Tito] Jackson on advancing, and I look forward to six weeks of positive conversation in all the neighborhoods of Boston,” he said.

The Jackson campaign said that the results from the Preliminary were a victory for Team Tito and the City of Boston – with him moving ahead to challenge Walsh on Nov. 7.

“ All city residents are one step closer to reclaiming City Hall; ensuring the advancement of his/her family; and most importantly improving the quality of their lives,” said Jackson. “Our focus and drive has always been deeply rooted in the desire to uplift all of Boston. As we move forward to the general election, we will continue to work and build the relationships that matter most. We will be meeting and collaborating with all neighborhoods and communities across the city of Boston, in an effort to work together and ensure a plan that is both culturally responsive and addresses the unique needs of each of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods. Together we can and will be the change that the city so desperately needs. We Are Boston.”

In Charlestown, Walsh scored his largest victory in Ward 2 Precinct 6 (Harvard Kent School), where he received 354 votes to Jackson’s 68. That was followed close behind by Ward 2 Precinct 2, where Walsh got 346 votes to Jackson’s 64.